LGA responds to launch of inquiry into children's social care

4 Feb 2016 12:37 PM

Cllr Roy Perry responds to the launch of an inquiry into local authority run children's social care by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children.

"Across the country, social workers are striving to improve the lives of vulnerable children and work closely together to maximise expertise and knowledge.

"High-profile crimes of abuse and neglect means that there are rightly thousands more children on the radar of social services now. Councils are currently supporting over 49,700 children on child protection plans, an increase of more than 20,000 since 2008. It is absolutely vital that they and partner agencies have the resources needed to deal with this huge increase in demand.

"A recent study from independent researchers Impower, highlighted the impact an inadequate Ofsted inspection can have on a council, which can often see areas stuck in a vicious circle of staffing shortages combined with rapidly increasing demand. Councils, government and Ofsted must work together to ensure the inspection system helps drive improvement rather than simply exacerbating existing problems."

Further information:

http://www.ncb.org.uk/what-we-do/policy/all-party-parliamentary-group/inquiry-2016-childrens-social-care-call-for-evidence